Hi AnonymousPete,

 Welcome to the SCC.

Nicotine is a drug, a POWERFUL drug plain and simple. Once you're addicted and try to quit, the withdrawal can be unbearable, that is unless you're prepared for it. Knowing what to expect, and being prepared to fight it are a must in order for the quit to work. 

 I'd suggest that you go through the "my program" at the top of the page. It will help guide you and prepare you for your journey. Also read through the forums here and try and learn all you can about what to expect. If you know what lies ahead, you will be less anxious and more ready to deal with it.

 Maybe cold turkey will not work for you and you may need NRT. (Nicotine replacement therapy) I was not sure if I could quit cold turkey, and I really wanted to quit so I used the patch. The "my program" will be able to tell you if you could use NRT or not. As far as I'm concerned, if NRT helps, go for it. Anything to help you quit is worth it. Some people are against using NRT, but if it works why not? The whole point is to stop smoking right? Granted, once you stop smoking you need to stop the NRT too, that is once your quit is under control. 

 All the symptoms you listed are normal for withdrawal from an addictive drug, not just nicotine, but alcohol, heroin and many others. 

 

 If you don't mind me asking, what is your motivation for wanting to quit?

 

N.O.P.E. 

I think I underestimated the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. Initially, I felt that I wouldn't experience anything short of mild irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and obviously cravings a little more than usual. When I decided to quit smoking cold turkey, I immediately threw away all my cigarettes and lighters. Washed all my clothes and got ready for my first day smoke-free. I thought that I would have been able to stop on any given moment. However, I noticed that throughout the day, the withdrawal symptoms continued to get worse. At first, I felt a bit dizzy and irritable. Then, I started experiencing nausea, indigestion, and perspiration. I have never felt this way before! Towards the end of the day, I felt very depressed and empty and there is no history of mental illness/psychiatric disorders on both lines of my family. Needless to say, I caved in and reverted back to the God-awful habit. 

 

In all honesty, I never expected it to be that bad. I think that the withdrawal symptoms are downplayed in order to alleviate any anxiety about smoking. Ever since attempting to quit, I have noticed that the withdrawal symptoms emerge even when trying to cut down on the number of cigarettes. At this point, I have tried almost everything. I have given up going downtown with friends, alcohol, and caffeine. Nothing seems to do the trick. 

Glad to be of help! 

 

 

 

Ashley,

So glad I came across your post today as I get ready to quit again..

There is so much here that I never considered before. 

Thank you for the helpful coaching this morning.

 

Red.. 

 

Taking breaks and self care are so important and often over looked.

Keep it up. Sounds like you are doing great. It takes strength to have the attitude you have while quitting.

Great work Mamma D!

You have made great progress. Anger is very common during a quit.

When many smokers quit, they go through changes that require some unmasking.  Take anger, for instance:  As nicotine addicts, we might have swallowed our anger, or lit up/chewed rather than make a scene when something really irked us.  It might have been easier and less stressful than engaging in confrontation about some problem.  I'm confident that most smokers and dippers who were "put in their place" can remember exhaling the smoke slowly at some time or other to decompress.  They puffed or chewed away for dear life rather than say their piece and end up getting fired from a much-needed job, to offer one example, or be in an in-laws bad book forever, to name another.  

In such anger, a nicotine fix became the crutch, the comforter and the savior of sorts, and quite a coping mechanism!  (Or so we thought anyway.)  Get my drift?  

With the giving up (and loss from our lives) of that lifelong 'all-round friend' the cigarette, we literally go through mourning with all its stages, including the stage of sadness and anger.  Quitting is a major loss, both physically and psychologically, and in addiction, a quitter will naturally mourn that loss for a little while, until they freely accept the quit and adopt it, just letting go of smoking or chewing.  

But besides that mourning, there are also things that can naturally trigger an angry response in a quitter:  For instance, typical little things such as finding an empty roll on the toilet paper dispenser, discovering someone's dirty laundry on the floor, coming across dirty dishes in another part of the house, etc., all could NOW send a quitter into that angry zone.  When you smoked you might have lit up and maybe said nothing in those situations, maybe even allowed yourself a sigh of exasperation.  Now, however, it could send you in a real tailspin.  It's demoralizing if you turn into an ogre and don't know how to deal with it.

If so, realize that in this situation, you are resorting to anger in response to a small trigger.  You are coping with an irritant by getting angry.  Something isn't right here, correct?

Without a nicotine fix, the next irritant to come along might be added to the mental stack of current irritants, until the quitter either learns to deal with them in a new way, or has an outburst.  

Dysfunctional anger management?  Inadequate communication habits? Quitting is a learning process. In smoking days, some of the time we lit up to cope, and that particular coping avenue is gone now. We have to find other ways.

The same irritants exist as before, but upon quitting, the coping mechanism of old is not there.  Some quitters will lash out for a while until they learn what is happening to them and how to deal with it.  While they are trying desperately to stay quit and focus their attention on dealing with cravings, they may not be aware right away of some of the other things happening to them.

Sudden anger is unpleasant and scary for the quitter, not to mention your loved ones, friends and co-workers.  Quitters and family alike feel helpless for a little while, amazed (and maybe fearful) at what is happening, at how easy anger rises.  It can take a couple of weeks and maybe one memorable outburst to really alert you to stop and take an inventory of sorts.  As soon as you can, develop adequate strategies.  It may take a while to get everything right, but everyone has to begin somewhere.  Do not resort to smoking or chewing!  There are ways to deal with it.

Gaining control over nicotine addiction involves recovery, which in turn involves self-discovery and self-appreciation, and it is a process of necessary change on many fronts, including how we deal with many things.  

Some strategies:  

Take regular, planned timeouts for yourself.  Be realistic and honest: How often did you take a break to light up before?  20, 30 times a day?  More? For 5 or 10 minutes? That inner regular need for a break to change your thoughts or environment and decompress at regular intervals should not be abandoned altogether, now should it?  Pay close attention to this old existing need.  Substitute a breathing exercise or something relaxing and self-loving.  Set an alarm clock if you need reminding and keep resetting it. Listen to some music perhaps too, or just pick a form of *regular distraction and relaxation*, and do it for a couple of minutes each time.  If you take regular 'non-smoking decompression breaks, you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Practice relaxation techniques and adopt some into your routine.  Successful people really do.  Here is a simple breathing exercise when you feel tense:  With shoulders back and tummy in, inhale deeply for a slow count of five, exhale for a slow count of five.  Do five of these at a time. (You can do this at your computer too)

Each day, reflect on, and study your stress levels.  Try to reduce the causes of other high stress in your life if you can, by altering the cause. Look at the cause-s.  Much of it may be self-imposed.  
* Consider looking for another job, in another line of work, if necessary.  

* Learn to say no to the impositions of others.  You are presently enrolled in a Quitting Course. (If you had to pay for a quitting program, would you not find a way to prioritize it above the demands of other people?)

* Don’t waste precious energy in criticism of yourself and others. Adopt a Live and Let Live attitude. Focus on your happiness. Anger releases bad hormones into your body.  Work on the opposite.  
* Put things in perspective.  

Value yourself more.  Believe that you are really something!  Quitting is not for sissies.  You may not have arrived yet, but you've left the starting gate.  We do appreciate what you're going through.  Start pampering and loving yourself, now!  Talk positive self-talk to yourself. Some people are too self-critical.  Ease up.  No one is perfect.

The Canadian Institute of Stress believes that by doing something satisfying or pleasurable, we can take the edge off.  This is so important!  (Ahem, ever hear of making a reward plan?)  The reason is that when we are experiencing enjoyment or pleasure, our body is pumping out less adrenalin.  If you haven't made that reward plan, better late than never, do it now!  (And then when you post your stats, share your rewards in order to inspire others to add to their plan too.)

Until you can control this anger, (what you say, the way you say it, how you react) it's better to take a time out than lose a friend or alienate a loved one.  Isolate yourself in the bedroom or washroom until you feel you can control yourself.  

Get adequate sleep and rest.  Indulge in an afternoon or evening nap.  There's nothing like fatigue to make us feel edgy to begin with.  In recovery, we need more rest, as every organ in the body is going through some pretty serious adjusting and withdrawal over a few months.

Anger can be managed.  Study up on anger management:  Get a book from the library, search the Internet, or consider getting professional help.  

Improve communication skills.  Study up on this too. Get a book from the library.  They give classes in this. Lots of fun. Really!

If you are a quitter going through this, please explain to your family and friends that this will pass as you recover.  Here's to you!